Industry news

Note to pharma: Stop fishing social media one hook at a time. A trawl net works much better

Beth Snyder Bulik / FiercePharmaMarketing

Pharma typically uses social listening only for one-off projects to answer a specific question. But that kind of tactical thinking isn't broad enough to tap the bigger benefits of social listening, said Greg Cohen, associate director in global strategic marketing at UCB.

UK life sciences are stronger in the EU, says BioIndustry Association

Steve Bates, BioIndustry Association (BIA) Chief Executive / European Pharmaceutical Review

The UK life sciences sector is growing and continually evolving as one of the key high-tech, high-growth sectors that the UK’s economy needs. We work in a global environment so we need to be international in outlook and scope. As the UK looks towards the EU referendum on June 23rd, it is important to highlight the success the sector has experienced as part of the largest global market by volume.

RUSNANO’s Profit More Than Doubled for the Second Consecutive Year

RUSNANO

RUSNANO Group consisting of JSC RUSNANO and its consolidated subsidiaries (including RUSNANO MC LLC) announced its 2015 financial performance in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) confirmed by an independent auditor.

23andMe broadens R&D footprint with new genetic service through Apple's ResearchKit

Emily Wasserman / FierceMedicalDevices

23andMe is rolling out a product that runs through Apple's ($AAPL) ResearchKit to collect genetic information from study participants. The move plays into the company's broader focus on research, as 23andMe looks to R&D to recover from a falling out with the FDA over direct-to-consumer genetic testing.

Here's a welcome new-drug side effect: Physician access is on the rise, CMI/Compas' survey shows

Beth Snyder Bulik / FiercePharmaMarketing

The doctor is ready to see you, pharma. CMI/Compas' annual Media Vitals study out today forecasts increased access to physicians for pharma companies this year.

NHS launches digital health tech accelerator in London

Stacy Lawrence / Fierce Medical Devices

The U.K.'s National Health Service doesn't have the reputation of being particularly technology savvy. In fact, it's had a long and public struggle--that's not yet complete--to get electronic medical records into place. But NHS England CEO Simon Stevens, who rejoined the agency in early 2014, is making a big push for the more effective integration of tech. And the former UnitedHealth Group exec is trying to loop business into early efforts to integrate more technology to promote healthcare efficiency.

Study finds mindfulness meditation offers relief for low-back pain

U.S. National Institute of Health

Mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) may prove more effective than usual treatment in alleviating chronic low-back pain, according to a new study funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), part of the National Institutes of Health.

Nasdaq exec says biotechs prime Asian unicorns for listings

EJ Lane / FeircePharmaAsia

With Hong Kong-based Hutchison China Meditech (Chi-Med) listing shares on the Nasdaq this week, a top executive at the exchange says more biotechs in Asia should head his way to become the next unicorns from the region.

2020 guidance offers foresight for transition from NDA to BLA

Mari Serebrov / BioWorld

A proposed guidance intended to help sponsors of proteins see their way forward as the FDA transitions the drugs from the 505 path of small-molecule products to 351 biologics license applications (BLAs) could trip up a lot of development plans and open newer drugs to competition much earlier than expected.

Scientists discover non-opioid pain pathway in the brain

U.S. National Institute of Health

Results from a new study, funded in part by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, demonstrate that mindfulness meditation works on a different pain pathway in the brain than opioid pain relievers. The researchers noted that because opioid and non-opioid mechanisms of pain relief interact synergistically, the results of this study suggest that combining mindfulness-based and pharmacologic/nonpharmacologic pain-relieving approaches that rely on opioid signaling may be particularly effective in treating pain.